Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Mentioning that night she got drunk, Leda touched her nose with a hint of embarrassment.

"It was all my mom's fault, insisting I attend this so-called youth mixer. It was basically a speed dating dinner in disguise."

The young men and women were like items on display, laid out for selection.

Nola was great in every way, except for being a bit of a worrywart.

Going on about how 'unequal matches never work out' and 'love can't survive on empty pockets,' blah blah blah...

Leda was over it.

After the last visit home, she laid down the law with Nola: she could consider matches of similar social standing, but the final choice was hers to make.

In return, Nola had to swear off arranging any more blind dates or mixers behind her back.

Roseanne: "Choose for yourself?"

"Yeah, as long as the guy's family isn't broke, my mom's cool with it. Easy, I'll just pick from our circle!"

"You're really going to pick?"

Roseanne blinked.

would dote on her, pamper her, and treat her like a queen...

they all had an extra layer of pride. We're all from

choose, or I can't face my mom. But I'm not picking a date; I'm picking a business partner." "A

of us want to follow our families' plans, why not

show in public, pretend we're together, and then do our

way, they could keep their families off their backs without the constant nagging, while still enjoying their freedom on

I know what I'm

the moment when Leda

it was my treat, why

"I can't let you foot the bill every time. I'm not broke,

"Right, my little heiress."

she reached out

it hurts. Keep your hands to yourself in public, it's not

their way through

Reynolds, a

both halt and instinctively look in the

middle-aged some with streaks of gray, neady all dressed in polo shirts with

at the center of

he was a stark contrast to the surrounding